Effects of Metformin on the Osteogenesis of Alveolar BMSCs from Diabetic Patients and Implant Osseointegration in Rats

Objectives This study aimed to explore the effects of metformin on osteogenic differentiation of alveolar bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) from type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients (DM-BMSCs) and implant osseointegration in rats, screen the optimal concentration, and investigate whether metformin could protect against the adverse impact of T2DM on BMSC osteogenic capacity. Subjects and methods Different concentrations of metformin were administered to human-derived BMSCs and Wistar rats receiving implants. ALP detection, Alizarin Red staining, real time RT-PCR and western blotting were performed to detect osteogenesis and investigate the mechanism. Toluidine blue staining was performed to analyse bone-implant contact in rats. Results Metformin increased implant osteointegration in a rat model and promoted the osteogenic capacity of DM-BMSCs via the AMPK/BMP/Smad signalling pathway, and 125 μM was the optimal concentration; however, concentrations over 200 µM, metformin showed an inhibitory effect on DM-BMSCs. Additionally, metformin at the optimal concentration (125 µM) identified in this study could compensate for the negative impacts of T2DM on the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. Conclusions Metformin can promote the osteogenesis of BMSCs from T2DM patients and osseointegration in rats, and it might be an effective drug for increasing the success rate of T2DM-associated implants.